Kawartha Conservation presented with another 25 acres

Twenty-five acres of environmentally-sensitive Scugog land was recently handed over to the Kawartha Conservation Authority as the agency continues it efforts to secure significant properties in the East Cross Forest area.

According to conservation agency officials, Leslie Beauchamp handed over ownership of the land, valued at more than $20,000, to Kawartha Conservation late last year as part of her desire to help protect the East Cross Creek headwaters and maintain the integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The lands, located off Devitts Road in southeast Scugog, south of Blackstock, were donated to the conservation agency through Environment Canada's Ecological Gifts Program.

"For a long time, I've envisioned a large conservation area connected with the Test Hill area, and this is a way of making that happen," explains Ms. Beauchamp in a press release.

"It has been a great experience working with Kawartha Conservation, who made the whole process seem easy. Having them as its 'guardian,' I know the property will be safe."

Just as pleased with the donation is Kristie Virgoe, the agency's manager of environmental protection and restoration.

"Kawartha Conservation is really grateful to Ms. Beauchamp," says Ms. Virgoe. "Her gift will have benefits that trickle through the whole watershed. It's a pleasure to work with people who are truly dedicated to environmental stewardship."

The property contains mostly wetland and is located within Kawartha Conservation's East Cross Forest project boundary. It is recognized as an important source of water for the East Cross Creek and surrounding aquifers.

The East Cross Forest project was initiated after many properties in the area were devastated by off-road vehicles and other illegal activities. Kawartha Conservation is rehabilitating and managing acquired lands to ensure abundant clean water for surrounding residents and businesses, and to protect cold-water habitat and sensitive species such as brook trout.

It's evident, continues Ms. Virgoe, that Ms. Beauchamp has been a good steward of her land.

"Most of the hardwood wetland is of high quality, and shows very little obvious disturbance," she says. "A barred owl, which was noted during natural heritage studies by our staff, is a good indicator of the quality and the overall size of the wooded area, since they are known to be area-sensitive species that prefer larger trees for nesting."

Kawartha Conservation is incorporating the land into the East Cross Forest Conservation Area, which will be open to the public in 2009.

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• newsdurhamregion.com

Northumberland Forest plan

The stage was set yesterday for different - and sometimes opposing - Northumberland County Forest users to respond to recommendations about the 5,300-acre forest on both sides of County Road 45 north of Baltimore.

There hasn't been a management plan for the forest since 2001, when responsibility for it was taken away from the Ministry of Natural Resources, those attending the public forum at the Alderville First Nation Community Centre learned during the event.

So, as part of the county process to complete a Forest Master Plan either later this year or by 2009 at the latest, various aspects of the forest have gone under a microscope. These range from fire protection and road allowances through Northumberland Forest, to use of forest trails. A forest advisory committee has been working on some of this since last March.

Along with the pressures on the county-owned forest from increased use (including motorized vehicles), water erosion has affected parts of this reforestated area and its sandy soils. In addition, a forest plan must comply with the Oak Ridges Moraine legislation to protect key natural heritage areas. The forest also contains unique habitat like savannahs and tallgrass prairies, with at-risk species of vegetation, insects and even endangered species such as the eastern hog-nosed snake.

The new Forest Master Plan must juggle and balance all of this - and ongoing timber harvesting as well - according to the displays and representatives of various recreational and conservation groups that were set up in the community centre.

The focus of the evening session, though, was on trails, and the draft report by the county-hired consultants, John Marsh and Al MacPherson of Trent University, was front and centre. Public delegations were scheduled for the evening, followed by a public discussion.

Among the consultant's key recommendations is that, even when trails are developed, people should not be asked to pay to use them.

That's for three good reasons, Dr. Marsh said in an interview: a paid permit system can't be put in place without proper administration and enforcement; often even with these in place, it's not cost-effective if there isn't enough traffic; and people will have increased expectations that could affect liability in the county-owned forest.

Another significant recommendation is that the Beagle Club trail area (bounded by Beagle Club, Bowmanton and Morris roads) not be used by motorized vehicles or for hunting, except for an east-west motorized route, to also be used for emergencies and fire management. Motorized trails currently go in several directions, crossing cross-country ski routes, for example.

Because groups like Northumberland and District ATV Riders Club, snowmobilers and motorcycle riders want to be able to traverse the forest, Dr. Marsh says he wants to sit down with them to come up with a solution.

Other zones he recommends be designated "non-motorized" would be ponds in the forest (for fire protection and currently used by animals as watering holes) and the area known as Look Out Mountain, a high point off Dunbar Road, east of County Road 45 and west of Peter's Woods.

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At least three interpretive trails should be developed, one of which should be accessible by physically disabled people, Dr. Marsh also suggests. Barriers should be erected and maintained to stop degeneration of areas within the forest and there should be comprehensive signage, together with three parking areas from which people can access trails, he said.

There is also a recommendation to establish a forest centre in the former ski hill area on the east side of County Road 45 (near the Scout club). A risk management plan should be developed related to assessing trails and hunting areas in the forest, he suggests.

Dr. Marsh is also recommending a full-time professional forest manager be hired.

Cobourg Mayor Peter Delanty is chairing the forest advisory committee which will bring its finalized recommendations back to county council.

See Monday's Cobourg Daily Star for the public's reaction to the consultants' report.

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  Northumberland Today - Ontario.

Uxbridge to guide direction of Provincial land

The public will soon have input into what to do with more than 1,000 acres of land once slated to become a huge housing development in Uxbridge.

A number of uses could be made of the former 'Gan Eden' lands, 1,332 acres previously owned by Joey Tanenbaum, who agreed to a land swap with the Province for Seaton lands in Pickering last year. John McCutcheon of Uxbridge Naturally explained Queen's Park has given direction to develop a management plan for the lands, of which Uxbridge Naturally will play a supporting role. The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), whose jurisdiction the properties fall within, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) would be major players in the process.

The groups will be interested in hearing "what's the best use of the land from the perspective of the community, (while) maintaining ecological integrity (of the land)," he said.

Mr. McCutcheon explained the first step is to develop a "scope" for the plan, and then develop the plan itself. Public meetings will be part of the process, he said, with the first possibly this spring. "As the process moves forward definitely the public will be involved... a presentation will be made to the public about what sort of ideas (for the land) are being considered and what kind of things (the public) would like to see done," said Mr. McCutcheon. "Some people would like to see skeet shooting, some camping (for Scouts)." Another park similar to Uxbridge's 140-acre Countryside Preserve could find a home there as well, he added. A trail extension linking to south Durham is already in the cards.

Uxbridge Naturally is looking to enhance the lands through reforestation as well as offering limited "passive" recreational activities there, he said.

Peter Burtch of the LSRCA said that approach "really fits with our objectives... we look forward to working with Uxbridge Naturally for this planning exercise." Upon completion, the management plan will be presented to the Province for approval, noted Mr. McCutcheon.

The lands, now in the hands of the Ontario government, are located in Uxbridge near Hwy. 47 and Brock Road. Members of Uxbridge Naturally were involved when the Gan Eden proposal went to an OMB fight, which ultimately disallowed the development, followed by the introduction of Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act in 2001.

Related link:

• Uxbridge to guide direction of Provincial land

Budget hike by Lower Trent

Entering its 40th anniversary year, the Lower Trent Conservation Authority is asking for a $400,000 increase in its 2008 budget, to a new level of $3.5 million.

The proposed increase would bring individual taxpayers’ contribution to the conservation authority to an estimated $21.30 per household this year.

Most of the budget hike will be spent in three specific areas – watershed restoration of species at risk; the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation support for private land stewardship on the moraine; and drinking water source protection around municipal water supplies.

The conservation officials unveiled their budget and business plans before both Trent Hills and Brighton councils on Monday night. Five other municipalities in Northumberland Quinte West will see the proposals this month.

The Lower Trent budget will get final review by the authority’s board of directors in Trenton on Feb. 14 – St. Valentine’s Day.

But the authority won’t have to wait that long to receive a few love letters from its municipal admirers.

At Trent Hills Council, Depute Mayor Dean Peters declared: “What is the individual taxpayer getting for their money? When you read through this list of services, I become convinced that it’s good value for money. The authority is well-managed.”

What do the taxpayers get for their money? Everything from running flood control prevention to a local drought response, and operating the Goodrich-Loomis Nature Camp as well as selling trees seedlings for watershed restoration.

“Of course, we should remember that only 18 per cent of their funding comes from the municipalities, the balance comes from the federal and provincial governments and other organizations.”

Mayor Hector Macmillan was even more complimentary about the Lower Trent’s proposals for 2008: “At a cost of $21.30 per household, it’s a great deal, it’s a bargain.”

But in Brighton, Councillor Brian Ostrander was more circumspect, and said he hoped to see the annual budget increases of nearly 10 per cent start to “ease” at some point.

However fellow Brighton Councillor Craig Kerr defended the organization, saying: “We have to look at the point we’ve reached as a society and the shift on the environment. This is a pittance we are being asked for.”

In his presentation to the municipalities, Lower Trent’s General Manager Jim Kelleher says that task of managing conservation in the lower Trent watershed has expanded rapidly in the authority’s 40-year history.

In 1968, the authority was a top-heavy bureaucracy with 21 board members, and only one part-time employee. Today it has reversed the numbers and has only 10 board members but a full-time staff of 21 people.

But Mr. Kelleher noted: “The stresses on our watershed are increasing. We cannot rest on the success we have achieved for much remains to be done.”

Today the authority’s jurisdiction covers 2,121 sq. kms in seven municipalities, including 211 kilometres of shorelines along lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte.

The 2008 budget for the authority will be used to target a number of key responsibilities – prevent flooding, protect drinking water supplies, provide environmental education, operate conservation areas and trails and manage sensitive environmental lands.

The Independent - Budget hike by Lower Trent.

Conservation dream

Brian Denney likes to think his job is about building infrastructure, only it's the green kind.

He's in charge of protecting and nurturing one of the GTA's largest tracts of publicly owned river valleys and conservation areas.

Denney compares the network of waterways that stretch from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine to the roads, pipes and power lines found in the urban environment. In their own way, both create the foundations for a great city.

And it's vital not to forget that.

"We want this city to become more dense," says Denney, CAO of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, best known for managing publicly accessible conservation areas and trails.

"But it's really important that, as part of the city-building process, we have a green infrastructure layer that we are working to achieve, along with other aspects of urban infrastructure."

But it's not easy, and time is running out. The authority first drew up a wish list of lands it would like to acquire back in the 1960s – all part of a vision to knit together continuous ribbons of green, flowing from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Ontario, that would preserve waterways, provide conduits for wildlife and allow amenities such as a continuous trail system.

The plan has been updated regularly, but the dream is only half complete.

Acquiring the missing links – some 16,000 hectares – along water systems such as the Humber River, Highland Creek, Rouge River and Duffins Creek is going to be a long slog.

That's because the authority has no money of its own to buy private land, such as the parcels it covets along the Humber near Highway 401.

In recent years, it has received modest but encouraging support from an unlikely source – cash-strapped municipalities (Toronto, York, Durham and Peel regions) that came forward with funds to buy small but significant parcels.

In Toronto's case, the money has come from something called the Source Water Protection Acquisition Program. Other regions simply have dug into reserve funds.

One parcel was the two-hectare Boyer property, which the authority acquired last month for about $285,000 provided by Peel and Toronto. It's situated at the headwaters of the Humber near Glen Haffy.

But the authority's larger dream will remain unfulfilled unless senior governments step in to make it happen.

Municipalities have contributed up to $3 million a year – just not good enough to fulfil a long-term vision.

"If we had $20 million a year for land acquisition over the space of the next two decades, most of this stuff is doable," says Denney wistfully.

"This is not a billion-dollar problem."

The immense area he's referring to covers nine watersheds, stretching from Etobicoke Creek in the west to Duffins Creek in the east, and encompasses municipalities that are home to more than 3 million people – one-fourth of Ontario's population and Canada's most densely populated region.

Councillor Glen De Baeremaeker, an environmental activist who champions a stable fund for the TRCA, says it's a race against time – especially because the agency is often competing for the land with developers. This is especially true in the northern headwaters, where developers and other private interests are staking claims, although strategic purchases are also needed in more heavily urbanized areas to the south.

What's desperately needed is a stable pot of money. That kind of funding would allow the body to move quickly and even approach private property owners to negotiate pre-emptive sales.

As it is, opportunities can be lost by the time funding is put together. Even sellers who would prefer to see land preserved don't want to wait a year or more as the authority scrambles to find the money.

"The government had zero muscle before, and now we have a teeny-weeny muscle," says Baeremaeker, in reference to budding municipal funding.

"Land acquisition for green space is no different from any other public policy issue," says a philosophical Denney.

"You make the most progress when the federal government, the provincial government and the municipal government are all aligned toward the same goal."

Denney says the conservation authority's most significant growth took place in the years immediately after Hurricane Hazel, the 1954 storm that killed 81 people in Ontario and left thousands homeless. Much of the land the body owns today was bought or expropriated in an effort to keep development out of areas vulnerable to flooding.

The province did give the authority a one-time grant of about 1,335 hectares in the Rouge River Valley, near the Toronto Zoo, in 2004. But in general there's been "less alignment" with the conservation authority's goals since the post-hurricane era, says Denney.

He praises the province for stepping in to protect the Oak Ridges Moraine and the new Greenbelt by freezing development.

But much of the protected land still remains privately owned, and unless the authority or some other preservation-minded body acquires it, a change of government could mean it could get built upon one day.

In recent years, as concerns about flooding receded, the authority also has seen its primary focus of flood control and dam-building evolve to address broader environmental concerns.

Denney says environmentally conscious municipal politicians have begun to walk the walk with their budgets, and that gives him hope other levels of government will step up.

"It's about air quality, aesthetics, wildlife in the city. It's about nice places to walk, all coming together in a green space system," says Denney.

"It's about maintaining some aspects of the natural system that are unique to this part of the world ... at the same time that we are building a big city."

Related link: Toronto Star - Clock is ticking for conservation dream